Anesthesia Business Consultants identified the CPT updates for 2017 that will have the biggest impact on anesthesia and pain management in the next year.
There were four common codes dealing with imaging that were deleted and replaced with codes that distinguish whether a procedure is done with or without imaging guidance. Providers must now document whether image guidance is used. Here is the crosswalk:
1. Cervical and thoracic single shot injection (CPT 62310)
• New code with image guidance: 62321
• New code without image guidance: 62320
2. Lumbar single shot injection (CPT 62311)
• New code with image guidance: 62323
• New code without image guidance: 62322
3. Cervical or thoracic epidural catheter (62318)
• New code with image guidance: 62325
• New code without image guidance: 62324
4. Lumbar epidural catheter (CPT 62319)
• New code with image guidance: 62327
• New code without image guidance: 62326
CPT also restructured codes for moderate sedation, deleting several codes and adding six new sedation codes based on patient age and time under sedation. Sedation less than 10 minutes isn't reported separately.
The national conversion factor for anesthesia is now $22.0454 and the resource based relative value system conversion factor for pain management, flat fees is $35.8887.